NZPhotographer Issue 45, July 2021

ISSUE 45, July 2021 

A LIFELONG PASSION 

FOR PHOTOGRAPHY 

INTERVIEW WITH 

MARK TRUFITT 

FROM THE ROAD: 

TIRANA 

BY SUSAN BLICK 

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO 

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CC 

BY CHARLOTTE E. JOHNSON 

IMAGE OR ILLUSION? 

THE ROLE OF NATURE 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

BY SHAUN BARNETT 

NZPhotographer 

July 2021 

1

WELCOME TO ISSUE 45 OF 

NZ PHOTOGRAPHER MAGAZINE 

HELLO EVERYONE, 

If you've been pondering what's 

involved in extreme macro 

photography, how to get started with 

Photoshop, and where you can still 

explore off the beaten tourist trail in 

Europe, this issue has the answers! 

In Behind The Shot Johann Schutte 

takes us through the intricacies of 

preparing a Bluebottle fly for an 

extreme macro photo shoot which is 

sure to have you looking at those dead 

flies in your windowsill in a new light! 

Susan Blick shows us around Tirana, the 

capital of Albania, we talk museums 

and travel with Mark Trufitt, and back on home ground Shaun 

Barnett discusses the role of nature photography with some mustfollow 

nature first principles. 

Charlotte E. Johnson is also here to guide you with her introduction 

to Adobe Photoshop CC, the first in a series of articles which will soon 

have you taking your photography to a whole new level whilst Ana 

has us pondering what our photographs are worth – a million dollar 

question that requires your input to make the photography industry 

fairer and better! 

OUR CONTRIBUTORS 

Emily Goodwin 

Editor NZ Photographer 

NZPhotographer Issue 45 


Cover Photo 

Govett Brewster Art Gallery 

by Lyn Alves 

Publisher: 

Foto Lifestyle Ltd 

Website: 

nzphotographer.nz 

Graphic Design: 

Maksim Topyrkin 

Advertising Enquiries: 

Email 

hello@nzphotographer.nz 

FOLLOW US 

Susan Blick 

Susan is an award-winning 

landscape photographer 

from New Zealand and 

Australia who travels 

extensively and leads 

international photo tours. 

She is currently based in 

Istanbul, but is spending time 

across the region throughout 

the year. 

Charlotte E. Johnson 

A photography educator 

helping photographers gain 

skills and confidence, Charlotte 

offers a range of workshops and 

customisable tuition options. 

An award-winning, full-time 

photographer with a passion for 

portraiture, she is a Lensbaby 

Ambassador and an Adobe 

Certified Expert in Photoshop. 

Richard Young 

Richard is an award-winning 

landscape and wildlife 

photographer originally 

from the UK. The found of 

New Zealand Photography 

Workshops, he helps people 

improve their photography 

whilst experiencing 

New Zealand's stunning 

locations. 

All rights reserved. Reproduction of any material appearing in this magazine in any form is forbidden without prior 

consent of the publisher. 

Disclaimer: Opinions of contributing authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the magazine.

CONTENTS 

5 

8 

16 

27 

45 

55 

56 

68 

BEHIND THE SHOT 

WITH JOHANN SCHUTTE 

FROM THE ROAD: TIRANA 

by Susan Blick 

A LIFELONG PASSION FOR PHOTOGRAPHY 

INTERVIEW WITH MARK TRUFITT 

MINI 4 SHOT PORTFOLIO 

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CC 

by Charlotte E. Johnson 

WHAT ARE PHOTOGRAPHERS WORTH? 

by Ana Lyubich 

EXCIO TOP 10 


THE ROLE OF NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY 

By Shaun Barnett 

75 PORTFOLIO 

BEST READERS' SUBMISSIONS THIS MONTH 

MEMBERSHIP 

FROM THE ROAD: TIRANA 

BY SUSAN BLICK 

A LIFELONG PASSION FOR PHOTOGRAPHY 

INTERVIEW WITH MARK TRUFITT 


THE ROLE OF NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY 

BY SHAUN BARNETT 

8 

16 

68 

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Behind The Shot 

With Johann Schutte 

JOHANN, TELL US ABOUT YOU AND YOUR 

PASSION FOR PHOTOGRAPHY... 

I’m a clinical psychologist, so before I get to 

photography let me tell you about ‘flow’. Flow occurs 

when you become so engrossed in an activity that time 

just flies and you’re hardly aware of biological needs 

such as hunger. Flow is a psychologically very healthy 

and restorative experience, and photography provides 

this for me. I’ve always had a camera, as I grew up in 

a home where photography was a common activity. 

I slowly progressed from other genres to macro and 

then to extreme macro, which is when you exceed 

the 2:1 threshold. Extreme macro is special, because 

it’s a complex, demanding form of photography that 

captivates me, creates flow, and doubles my sense of 

accomplishment when I get a pleasing result. 

WHAT’S YOUR SETUP FOR CAPTURING EXTREME 

MACRO SHOTS? 

Currently, my go-to camera for extreme macro is a 

5ds. To accomplish extreme macro, I typically mount 

an extension tube (100-200mm) on my 5ds, to which 

I add a Kenko 5x diopter as a tube lens. After the 

Kenko, I mount a suitable microscope objective, 

such as a Nikon 10x CFI Plan. This constellation allows 

me to shoot in the 5x - 13x magnification range. 

When shooting in the 1x - 5x magnification range, I 

typically use a Canon MP-E65 lens, which is a lens built 

exclusively for macro photography. 

I also use a Cognisys stackshot. This is a device 

that allows the camera to be moved forward and 

backward in micron sized steps, which facilitates 

‘stacking’. Because of the minute depth of field that 

inevitably occurs at magnification of greater than 

1:1, stacking is a popular technique used by many 

extreme-macro photographers - Stacking is essentially 

a digital layering of images with software, so that 

more of your subject is in focus. 

TELL US ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHING THE 

BLUEBOTTLE THAT WE SEE ON THE NEXT PAGE... 

The pic, a profile shot of a Bluebottle fly’s head, is a 265 

image stack at 5x magnification, executed with a MP-E65 

Canon macro lens at F2.8. Illumination was with 3 Yongnuo 

flashes @ 1/160. The Camera used was a Canon 6d set to 

ISO100 and was advanced in 40micron stepsize. 

I selected this shot for this feature because it 

demonstrates the extensive sequence of steps 

involved to get to the end result. 

I avoid killing insects for the purposes of photography, 

particularly ones I consider to be useful, like pollinators, 

but I do sometimes harvest subjects off window-sills that 

have been dead for a day or two, as in the case of this 

Bluebottle fly. 

On inspecting this Bluebottle fly under a magnifying 

glass, it was clear that it needed to be cleaned and 

restored. This involves as a first step, applying a typical 

rubber air-blower to get rid of as much debris on the 

subject as possible (as insects crawl around they pick 

up cobwebs, pollen, dust etc.) I then usually bathe the 

subject in a sonic jewellery cleaner for an hour or so. I use 

a mild dishwashing detergent and water solution for this. 

After the vibratory wash, I rinse the subject in the same 

sonic cleaner in clean water for an hour. As subjects 

often rapidly deteriorate post-mortem, I restore them 

with a chemical product called Decon-90. Decon-90 

is a laboratory cleaner which seems to serendipitously 

also restore insect eyes and other parts. I usually bathe 

the subject in a water based solution of this for 90-120 

minutes, which restores the eyes quite remarkably and 

‘plumps it up’. I don’t have the chemical background 

to explain how/why this works, but it works well, except 

if you overdo it as this will result in a dissolved specimen! 

The last step is to dry the subject. For this I use rubbing 

alcohol, which is water repellent. After submerging the 

subject in the rubbing alcohol for a minute or two, I allow 

it to dry naturally for 10 minutes or so. 

If at this point the subject is still in one usable piece, 

imaging can proceed. My imaging setup consists of 

three units; the subject stage, light box, and Camera- 

Cognisys Stackshot-PC interface. 

I first mount the subject on the stage, which has up/down, 

forward/backward, and lateral movement, and can 

rotate, yaw, tilt, and pitch to allow positioning as desired. As 

I’m sometimes working with really small or fragile subjects 

like fleas or mosquitos, this can be quite challenging. 

Once mounted, the subject is inserted into the light 

box. This is where it is illuminated and where the light 

source is properly diffused. The subject is inserted into 

the central tunnel on one side, with the camera and 

tube/lens entered from the other side. 



5

Bluebottle Fly 

by Johann Schutte

The camera and Cognisys stackshot now comes 

into play. Depending on the subject depth and the 

magnification, the starting and ending points, and 

stepsize are determined. For a magnification of 10x, I 

would typically shoot 150-450 images at 7 micron stepsize. 

The shoot sequence takes about 30-45 minutes. This 

is an automated process that is based on stepsize 

and subject depth. The reason it takes so long is that 

I allow at least 5 seconds to elapse between shots to 

allow vibrations caused by mirror lockup and shutter 

movements to come to an end. I use Zerene (software) 

to control the shoot and execute the stacking process. 

On completion of the stack, some post-processing is usually 

required. Zerene has some useful built-in tools with which 

the stacked image can be improved, but final editing 

occurs in Photoshop. My post-processing routine, which 

usually takes 2-3 hours, typically involves digital removal 

of stubborn remaining debris, local and global contrast 

adjustments usually with luminosity masking, frequency 

separated edits, colour adjustments, and sharpening. 

WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE KNOW? 

If you’re fortunate enough to have a brick and mortar 

building in which you shoot, you’re far more protected 

from noise and movement-caused vibrations that 

originate from outside the house. As I do my stacking in 

a typical NZ timber structure, cars passing by the house 

or a car door slamming cause unwanted sympathetic 

vibration in the subject. You can actually see this on 

the pc screen at 10x magnification! This is why I cannot 

use continuous lighting, for which longer exposure time 

(slower shutter speed) is necessary, and have to use flash. 

I was very happy with this particular pic because the 

subject was old, dirty, and deteriorated to begin with but 

ended up well in my estimation. It demonstrated that my 

method works however, I look to optimising my processes 

continually. Since taking this pic, I’ve altered the diffusion 

material in the light tunnel to achieve softer light. 

WHERE CAN WE SEE MORE OF YOUR EXTREME 

MACRO PHOTOS? 

www.flickr.com/photos/138441446@N04 

www.js.net.nz/album 

BEHIND THE SHOT IS PROUDLY 

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waterfalls; Kauri forest—Northland has it all! 

The never-ending summers of Northland make it a beautiful 

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set aside plenty of time to explore and capture some of 

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NZPhotographer July 2021 7

From The Road: Tirana 

by Susan Blick 

8 July 2021 NZPhotographer

Shot from my apartment balcony in downtown Tirana. 


Canon 6D Mk1 + Canon 16-35mm F/2.8L III USM 

@ F6.3, 0.4s, ISO100, 28mm 


9

Quirky Tirana is a mix of many things. It’s colourful yet non-conforming with a touch of 

grunginess. It’s friendly, yet suspicious, it’s interesting yet has no attractions on a world 

scale to speak of with only a few places you must visit, but everywhere you should 

wander! If you’re the kind of photographer who loves premium sights you can pose 

in front of, Albania’s capital city may not be the place for you but if you’re looking for 

off the beaten path gems and odd finds I guarantee you’ll develop a little crush on 

this ex-totalitarian socialist republic city. 

Prior to Covid, Albania was one of the highest trending new travel destinations on the 

planet according to Harper’s Bazaar. Luckily for me, the pandemic has held back 

the masses and if you venture here shortly, you’ll be afforded one of the best value 

destinations in the world. 

Street art is everywhere in Tirana. 

Canon 6D Mk1 + Canon 16-35mm F/2.8L III USM @ F5.0, 1/632s, ISO250, 35mm 

EXPLORING THE CITY 

On arrival, head for Skanderbeg Square as 

everything fans out from here. Typical of a 

communist square, it’s large and imposing, has a 

massive ideological mosaic on the commanding 

National Historical Museum and a giant Albanian 

flag flies overhead, you certainly know you’re 

standing in a revolutionary square! 

The square has a few photographical points of 

interest: the old Et’hem Bey mosque of 1821, the 

clock tower up which you can climb the 90 stairs 

for a 360 degree view of the area, and the Opera 

Cafe with outdoor seating to people watch as 

you sip your 3rd coffee of the day! Tirana has 

more coffee shops per population and per area 

than anywhere else in the world. It’s said that 

after the fall of the socialist regime in the ‘80s the 

cheapest investment someone could make was to 

open a small coffee shop. Hence, there are now 

thousands of them selling fabulous espresso for a 

dollar. 

Once you have explored the square head northeast 

to the Observator Bar and Cafe (you’ll find 

it on Google maps) for a 13 floor-high view of 

all Tirana and the surrounding Dajti Mountains. 

A wide angle lens will help you frame the scene 

above the apartment blocks. Go on a cloudy 

day for dramatic skies if you can. There’s no 

entry fee but a purchase of another coffee or 

beer is appreciated. Due to the chest-high glass 

encasing the rooftop it’s not possible to use a 

tripod for long exposures or low light photography, 

so you might as well come in the afternoon and 

simply enjoy the sunshine and the views. 

Just 100 or so metres away is the city market of 

Pazaari Ri. It’s busier on some days than others but 

I couldn’t quite figure out any rhyme or reason 

for it. Nonetheless, the stall holders here are very 

friendly and will happily pose for a photo if you 

start a conversation. Remember people are quite 

shy in Albania, a little unsure of outsiders, and 

lacking English, so couple this together and it can 

feel rather odd, but once you offer a smile and 

take the lead, they lighten up quite quickly. 


Top: The view from the Observator Bar and Café. 


@ F7.1, 1/500s, ISO100, 16mm 

Bottom:A shopkeeper in the Pazari Ri market. 


@F2.8, 1/250s, ISO320, 35mm

Another must see is the Pyramid of Tirana, originally 

built as an ode to Communism and a museum to 

Enver Hoxha, Albania’s socialist dictator of 44 years. 

It’s currently having a huge makeover, so I couldn’t 

venture inside and even taking a shot from the road 

was difficult with the 6 foot high fence surrounding 

the site! But based on the drawings and predictions 

it will be one of the premier sights in the city upon 

completion and the largest IT Hub in the Balkans. At 

the time of construction, the Pyramid was Albania’s 

most expensive building and it looks as though that 

could be the case again after the refurbishment. 

When you’re done at the Pyramid drop by the 

Bunk Art 2 installation for some heart-rendering and 

shocking Albanian history under ex-leader Hoxha. 

This is an incredibly unique history museum preserved 

inside a Communist-era nuclear pit bunker. Hoxha was 

so paranoid that he hid himself away here where he 

set up a bedroom and office. Photography is allowed 

here and still life opportunities exist among the relics 

of the period. However, it is rather dark inside, so a 

flash or a good low light lens would be very beneficial. 

There is an entrance fee of NZ$5. 

OUT OF TOWN EXCURSIONS 

Make sure you leave time for two nearby but out of 

town excursions. The first is to Petrela Castle which has 

free entry. Much of the interior of the 15th century 

castle has been lost but the views, which extend 

beyond the castle itself, are outstanding. Be sure 

to take the small path around the edge of the cliff 

for fabulous views over the Erzen Valley and back 

to Tirana city. The best time to visit is morning as the 

light hits the castle nicely - the earlier the better for 

beautiful soft light. A wide angle lens is your best 

choice for this sightseeing experience. You’ll have to 

arrange a taxi to get here, look to pay about NZ$40 

for the return trip with about an hour’s wait time. 

And finally, perhaps the best half day trip in all of 

Albania and definitely in Tirana is to Kruje Castle. What 

a splendid sight it is! In fact, I’d go as far as to say 

staying at Hotel Panorama here is a huge tip. If I’d 

known just how good a sight this was with incredible 

views all the way to Kosovo, Macedonia, and the 

Ionian Sea I’d have stayed here myself. Indeed, if I get 

the chance to come back I will! The best way to get 

here is by taxi, a bargain for a price of around 5,000 

Leke (NZ$65) for the return journey with a two hour 

wait time. 

Perfectly preserved, the castle grounds are beautiful, 

historical, and a great place to while away a couple 

of hours. Lots of seating has been put in place to 

allow you to take in the views and imagine the history. 

Be sure to visit the church too, just a little down the 

cobbled path to the left from the main buildings, it’s 

been in place for over a thousand years. Planted 

Drones are permitted in Albania but be sensible, no flying in aircraft zones or 

over crowds of people. Here I used my ailing Mavic Air to capture Petrela Castle. 

DJI Mavic Air 1 F2.8, 1/800s, ISO100, 4.5mm 


The streets of the ancient town of Kruje. 

Canon 6D Mk1 + Canon 16-35mm F/2.8L III USM @ F/7.1, 1/80s, ISO160, 16mm 

right beside the church is a 600 year old olive tree - 

probably the largest, most magnificent olive tree you’ll 

ever see! It was planted on the wedding day of the 

Albanian hero Skanderbeg who held off the Ottomans 

from this very castle. The streets surrounding the castle 

are original cobblestone and you can tell they’re old 

by how smooth they are. Shops line the streets selling 

homemade, handmade souvenirs – no plastic, trashy 

souvenirs to be found here. However, due to Covid 

times the people are hurting, these stores came about 

because of international tourism and with it vanishing 

overnight and for such a long period the people who 

changed their lives for us tourists are now left without 

an income. Take your wide lens, such as a 16-35mm 

for the castle proper and for the street. The streets are 

narrow and rather enclosed, so a fast lens like an F/2.8 

as is always the case for street photography will be 

beneficial here. 

Insider Tip - On your way back down the mountain 

keep a close eye out for a perfect view of the castle 

framed by the mountains behind it. The best spot 

isn’t long after you depart from the top. There are a 

couple of switchbacks that allow you to look back 

towards the castle and the mountains. Ask your driver 

to stop once you have a clear view. A nice long lens 

will be best here, I used my 70-200mm. 

CONCLUSION 

All in all, Tirana isn’t a city with world class sights, 

let’s be frank. Instead, it’s a city to immerse 

yourself in, nowhere in particular is better than 

anywhere else for shooting. It’s all good, street 

opportunities abound, and interactions with 

people are easy to come by in the markets. I 

found that after introductions, if I asked for a 

selfie before whipping out my camera, they 

were relaxed enough to pose for me. The lack 

of a common language between us made the 

encounter fun, don’t be shy because they are, 

take the lead, be bold, smile lots, and Tirana will 

share with you her hidden charms. 

You can follow me to keep up with my latest posts 

from the road: 

@susanblickphoto 

@phomadic 



13

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15

A Lifelong Passion For Photography 

Interview with Mark Trufitt 

MARK, TELL US ABOUT YOU AND YOUR 

JOURNEY WITH PHOTOGRAPHY... 

Educated in Surrey, England I completed a 

foundation course in art and design at Reigate 

School of Art & Design. I had every intention of 

doing a degree in photography but was talked into 

taking Graphic Design and Illustration. Incorporating 

as much photography in my degree course as I 

could, I graduated in 1983 and pursued my career, 

working for advertising agencies in South London for 

three years. But I always felt a need to be involved 

in photography so I joined a partnership in a sales 

and promotion company and became creative 

lead which meant I got involved in studio product 

photography and the odd onsite model shoot. I 

also became more active in social photography, I 

wouldn’t travel without my trusty Pentax gear and 

spent hours in the darkroom developing and printing 

black and white film. 

In 1992 I met my wife to be and visited New Zealand 

(yes she was a Kiwi doing her OE), I loved New 

Zealand so much that after nine years, I decided to 

leave my partnership and move across to the other 

side of the world and start a new life. 

My first job was creative and production manager 

for Cardmember Wines which involved hands on 

studio photography of wine and other supporting 

sales items. The major bonus was working with other 

photographers such as Geoff Mason of Air New 

Zealand and Huka Lodge fame. 

I was with Cardmember for two years before deciding 

to take a senior designer/studio managers position at 

Apple Art in Gisborne. At this time my photography 

had taken a back seat and after nine years I moved 

on as I was offered a position at Te Papa Tongarewa as 

exhibition (Day2) graphic production manager. Here 

I wasn’t pressing the camera button but art directing, 

working with amazing people and photographers who 

were perfectionists. This is where digital photography 

and pixel peeping started for me, it was especially 

important around printing large format and backlit 

images. I also started doing my own exhibition 

portfolio photography at this time, after working on 

some amazing exhibitions I wanted to keep a log of 

those exhibitions for my own reference and also for 

presentation when applying for other contracts or jobs. 

After moving back to Gisborne in 2008 and building 

our new house, my wife and I moved back up to 

Auckland where I was offered a position at Auckland 

War Memorial Museum as exhibition project manager. 

The job was demanding yet very rewarding and even 

though I was creatively hands-on, photography had 

taken a back seat as I had no time for my hobby. 

I became the exhibition manager/designer at Tauranga 

Art Gallery in 2015, the small team delivering 25 

exhibitions in one year. As I had twice project managed 

the National Geographic Wildlife Photographer of the 

Year touring exhibition at Auckland Museum, I was lucky 

enough to have a third go bringing it to Tauranga Art 

Gallery. I was also back into pushing the camera button 

with product and gallery photography, this along with 

learning about gallery and object lighting has helped 

me with my general photography. 

For health reason I gave up working at the art gallery 

and after a brief 3-year career direction change 

working in parts and service for the motorcycle trade 

(I’ve always been a motorcycle fanatic and love 

riding, touring with my wife, and watching racing), I 

have now decided to get back into photography with 

a potential to become freelance. Following on from 


my career background I plan to develop and find my 

photographic style, focusing on maybe one or two 

genres, with an aim to having an exhibition that I can 

tour nationally by putting my experience in exhibition 

development to good use. 

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO PHOTOGRAPH? 

The things I love to photograph are wildlife, particularly 

birds (which takes an incredible amount of patience 

and stealth!) I have also just started doing landscape 

photography and really enjoy the technical side 

of setting up for long exposure scenes. I find that I 

cannot resist taking sunrise and sunset shots, our house 

is on a hill facing west looking at the Kaimai Hills so, just 

about every evening, I get a lot of inspiration! 

Having a huge interest in motorcycling, I nearly always 

take my camera gear to racing events, these can also 

be challenging shots to capture due to the speed the 

bikes travel at. Coming from a graphics background I 

also really enjoy abstract photography, commercially 

I see this as an opportunity for my freelance genre. I’m 

also planning to start macro photography, possibly 

within a studio environment. 

Shags 

Sony Alpha 6400, 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS @ F6.3, 1/4000s, ISO800, 188mm 

WHAT ARE YOU SHOOTING WITH? 

Since digital came onto the scene I have always been 

a fan of Canon equipment, using a Canon 350D for 

Battle of the Streets 153 

Canon 350D, 75-300mm @ F8, 1/1600s, ISO400, 125mm

many years, but this gear became old and was quite 

low resolution so I decided it was time for an upgrade. 

After some research and trials I decided to sell my 

camera body and move allegiance to Sony. I sold my 

Canon camera to a local student who was travelling 

to the US for a scholarship in media and photography, 

I thought this was a good chance to support someone 

young so I threw in my lenses and bag together with a 

few other bits. 

In 2020 we were supposed to spend 6 weeks travelling 

around Europe, I wanted to travel light and have 

the ability to record video snips, so I finally settled on 

the Sony A6400. For lenses, I have the Sony 16-50mm 

F3.5-5.6 OSS and Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS. I’ve 

also ordered the Sigma 100-400mm F5.6-6.3 which is 

currently on its way as I type this, and I’m also saving 

for a new travel lens, either the Sony 18-105mm or 

18-135mm. I have two Lowepro camera bags, the 

Slingshot SL 250 AWIII and the M-Trekker SH 150 along 

with a Manfrotto BeFree tripod. 

Although COVID put an end to those European travel 

plans, I do still require my photography gear to be 

light due to my passion for motorcycling. I really enjoy 

carrying around the Sony Alpha 6400 with its light 

titanium body and weather proofing, also enjoying 

the fantastic focus tracking and flip up screen which 

makes it a great blogging camera too. However, it is 

not as intuitive as the Canon system and takes a while 

to get to know the ins and outs of using the menu 

items. I am now looking at getting a full frame camera 

too, maybe a Sony A7IV when it arrives or possibly an 

A7R III if I can afford it. 

TRAVEL IS IMPORTANT TO YOU, WHERE ARE 

SOME OF THE MOST MEMORABLE PLACES 

YOU’VE VISITED AND YOUR FAVOURITE 

PHOTOS FROM YOUR TRAVELS? 

Having a strong creative background and working 

in the Museum sector for many years I really love 

anywhere with a strong cultural history. Europe 

is amazing with changing cultures and history 

everywhere, but having recently spent time in 

Canada, I plan to go back. It’s such a vast country 

with changing scenery, it’s like New Zealand on a 

grander scale. 

In 2016 my wife and I did a small tour from Canada to 

Seattle with friends who live on Vancouver Island. We 

drove to Seattle and toured up and across country 

to the Okanagan, these photos (taken with my old 

Canon EOS and a Sony DSC-W730) bringing back 

memories of a fantastic trip. 

On our first full day in Seattle after travelling from 

Victoria on Vancouver Island, our plan was to visit the 

Space Needle 

Sony DSC-W730 @ F3.5, 1/400s, ISO80 

Tavira Clock Tower 

Iphone 4S, F2.4, 1/20s, ISO250

Sky Needle, which we did, but I was side tracked into 

taking photos of the Sonic Bloom Sunflowers, these 

amazing pieces of art were impressive against the 

clear blue sky and very fitting along side the Seattle 

Sky Needle. 

I also loved everything about the Isle of Man, helped 

due to my love for motorcycling. Not only is it a 

fantastic historical place, but to visit when the TT’s 

are taking part is an amazing experience. I have 

folders of photos and videos from our trip in 2014 but 

my favourite was barging through the crowds with 

my camera to photograph Michael Dunlop with Guy 

Martin congratulating him on winning the Senior TT 

race. 

My wife and I chose to visit Tavira in Portugal 

following our trip to the Isle of Man, we made the 

choice due to the art and culture of the area with it’s 

enormous history going back hundreds of years and 

multiple cultures. 

The hotel we stayed in at Tavira is surrounded by a 

courtyard close to the foot of the Roma Bridge over 

the Gilão River. An archeological dig is still taking 

place underneath the hotel and as I was from a 

museum background, they allowed us to go down 

behind the glass viewing area to take a closer look 

at the dig with relics that possibly date back to B.C. 

IOM Senior TT Winner 

Sony DSC-W730, F5, 1/125s, ISO80 

The Clock Tower, St Maria of the Castle Church was 

an iconic centre of town reference point that helped 

when you visited the narrow paths and alleyways 

around Tavira. This shot (clocktower) was taken with 

my iPhone at night against a clear sky. (9:17pm 

to be precise) I really like the way it was lit which 

highlighted the towers brick work and maintained a 

strong central reference point in the town at night. 

Port Erin, Isle of Man 

Sony DSC-W730, F3.2, 1/800s, ISO80

Peregrine 

Canon 350D, 75-300mm @ F9.0, 1/640s, ISO400, 300mm 



21

Kaimai Pastels 

Sony Alpha 6400, 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS @ F5.6, 1/320s, ISO200, 50mm 

WHAT TIPS CAN YOU SHARE FOR 

CAPTURING SUNSET AND SUNRISE 

PHOTOS? 

I think the most important thing when you want 

to take sunrise or sunset photographs is to have 

a systematic process to practice, so that it 

becomes second nature. Use a tripod and set 

your shutter on delay or use a remote, this is 

especially important on long exposures to settle 

your camera. Even though not really necessary, 

if you set your camera to bracket the shot, it can 

be an advantage for post production especially 

if you want to make HDR images. 

Arrive early to set up your gear, make sure 

you take a headlamp so you can see your 

foreground objects and camera settings. 

Choose where the direction of light needs to 

enter your shot and check your frame edges 

for composition. I recommend always shooting 

in manual mode and double checking all your 

settings before pushing the button. 

Neutral density filters are fantastic for obtaining 

longer exposures whilst smoothing out water and 

clouds. F8 - F16 should be fine to get the most 

of the depth of field, use manual focus and pick 

a spot half way towards the horizon. Purchase 

good quality filters as these require less colour 

adjustment in-post. 

WHAT HAVE YOU STRUGGLED WITH THE 

MOST IN PHOTOGRAPHY AND HOW HAVE 

YOU OVERCOME THESE CHALLENGES? 

Getting out and taking photos has been my 

biggest struggle. I have, until recently, been very 

time poor due to my work so getting motivated 

has been difficult. However, there is nothing like 

a new lens to get you motivated and getting 

out to places that you know have potential 

for the shot you might be looking for or going 

somewhere new that you know has potential - 

we live in New Zealand after all so it can’t be 

that hard! 

Now I have more time, I really like to go out with 

my camera and will generally plan my shots, 


Sunrise Mount Maunganui 

Sony Alpha 6400, 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS @ F11, 4s with 6 stop ND filter, ISO100, 25mm 

checking the weather forecast and making 

preparations the night before for my sunrise shots 

as well as planning for potential landscape shots. 

I also research where birds are so I can further my 

bird photography though this has been rather hit 

and miss. 

I am also very critical of my own shots and 

sometimes feel that they are not quite right and 

have a tendency not to show them. This is both 

a good thing and a bad thing as sometimes I 

dismiss perfectly good shots, but I still think it is 

a good thing to be self critical - something we 

were taught at art college. 

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON SOCIAL 

MEDIA FOR PROMOTING YOUR WORK? 

I think that social media has its place and is a 

great platform to exhibit one’s work, however 

I do believe that dedicated photography 

social media sites are far more useful and 

exciting. Excio, for example, not only offers an 

excellent opportunity to show off your talent, 

but by viewing other photographers’ work gives 

inspiration and motivation to experiment in other 

genres and types of photography. 

ANY INSPIRING WORDS TO LEAVE US 

WITH? 

In a world where digital media is part of 

everyday life I think that photography plays an 

important role for everyone. Most photos today 

are digital, very convenient and easy to show 

on a phone or computer. However, I believe 

that it is important to have something tangible. 

Printing your images is the essential final step to 

bringing your photography to life. This will not 

only enhance your story but it will also make you 

a better photographer. 

WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE? 

excio.gallery/mark_trufitt 

www.linkedin.com/in/ 

mark-trufitt-55964218 

facebook.com/ 

Tufferz 

markt.myportfolio.com 



23


13 Days - Subantarctic 

Islands Photography 

Expedition - 2021 

22 December 2021– 3 January 2022 

EXPERIENCE 

We have the opportunity to join Heritage Expeditions on a tour of the 

Subantarctic Islands. On this 13 day tour, we will have both Richard Young 

and Edin Whitehead as your guides and photography experts on the trip. 

We will have use of the ships lecture theatre to use in the evenings/while 

sailing to hold tuition and review sessions which will focus on capturing 

amazing wildlife and landscape photographs. 

New Zealand and Australia’s Subantarctic Islands are tiny havens for some 

of the most abundant and unique wildlife on the planet. They are composed 

of six groups of Islands. We will be visiting; the Snares, the Auckland 

Islands, Campbell Island and Macquarie Island. Here flora and fauna are 

densely concentrated: the number of indigenous plants and seabirds found 

is far greater than that found on similar groups in the South Atlantic and 

Indian Oceans. 

PLACES VISITED 

The Snares 

Macquarie Island 

Campbell Island 

Auckland Islands 

The Subantarctic Islands not only play an important role in the Southern 

Ocean ecosystem - they also have a rich human history. From their 

discovery 200 years ago, they were exposed to an era of exploitation. In 

time we began to understand their true worth and treasure them for their 

intrinsic value as wild and beautiful places. Visiting them is a pleasure and a 

privilege. You will not be disappointed. 

www.photographyworkshops.co.nz 

info@photographyworkshops.co.nz 

027 261 4417 


Click here for 

More Information 


25

Print On Demand 

Why not read your favourite magazine in print? 

ORDER NOW 

www.nzphotographer.nz/order-print-nzp/ 


Mini 4 Shot Portfolio 

Our 4x4 feature showcases 4 mini portfolio’s of both 

professional and up and coming New Zealand 

photographers. The 4 images are linked in some way, 

allowing you to get an understanding of what each 

photographer is most passionate about capturing. 

For a chance to get your own 4x4 feature in a future 

issue of the magazine, become a subscriber here. 

POCKETS OF HAPPINESS 

Athena Rhodes 

NEW ZEALAND'S FAIRIE TERN 

Chris Patterson 

CITIES AT NIGHT 

Paul Wallace 

GOLDEN DAWN 

Roger Baillie

ATHENA RHODES 


I found my love of nature, before I found my love of 

photography. I started to go out into the wild to help with 

anxiety, the sounds, textures, and smells of nature soothed my 

often racing mind. I then picked up a camera to share those 

moments, those pockets of happiness, with others. When I am 

not wandering through ferns and shrub, I am writing, drinking 

coffee, eating way too much peanut butter on toast and 

having dog snuggles with my best friend, Hemingway. 

@that_girl_in_mustard 

POCKETS OF HAPPINESS 

My series of photos are pockets of time in nature that have brought me happiness and 

peace. When I go into nature, I typically don’t go looking for these moments. Rather, I 

sit still and patiently wait. Perhaps on the dewy grass, maybe on a mossy log, or on some 

sand at a beach waiting for a moment to unfold. 

The gannet image is one where the sunset was particularly striking. I was crouched down 

on the viewing platform, taking photos of the many gannets that call Muriwai Gannet 

Colony home during the breeding season. The place was a hive of activity with the 

breeding season in full swing. This particular gannet looked right into my lens, making for 

an interesting portrait. This is still one of my favorite photos to date. 

The ocean wave image was captured during a sunrise in the city. I had woken up too 

early on a Sunday, and rather than loll in bed, which most would understandably do on a 

Sunday morning, I went for a wander to the beach. I perched on a rather uncomfortable 

rock and watched the waves crash dramatically on the shore as the sun slowly rose. I 

don't know how long I simply watched this nature show - minutes, hours, who knows? But I 

did take an image as I wished to share the pocket of happiness I had found that morning 

with others. 



29




31

CHRIS PATTERSON 


An Auckland based semi-professional photographer, most 

of my work is centred on wildlife both on land and in the 

water. During the past 4 years, photography has taken me 

as far afield as Costa Rica for 3 separate expeditions to 

capture some of Central America's stunning biodiversity. In 

addition, pre-pandemic, I was an annual visitor to Tonga to 

photograph the humpback migration. My key motivation as 

a photographer is to raise awareness of the fragile state of 

New Zealand's biodiversity through photography. 

@christographnz 

NEW ZEALAND'S FAIRIE TERN 

This series displays New Zealand's most critically endangered endemic 

bird; the Fairy Tern aka Tara Iti. Once found in healthy numbers around 

the northern half of the North Island's coast, the Fairy Tern population 

is now less than 50. With only 16 breeding pairs left, we are literally 

watching a unique part of New Zealand's biodiversity tethering on the 

brink of extinction as it fights for its survival as species. Several groups are 

also fighting hard to avoid the Fairy Tern joining the shocking list of birds 

that were condemned to extinction following the arrival of people to 

Aotearoa. 

Before the arrival of people, New Zealand was a group of islands that 

created the perfect Garden of Eden for birds. However, the combined 

effect of hunting by humans and the introduction of stoats, ferrets, 

weasels, and possums into a country that previously had no bird 

predators had a devastating effect on New Zealand's native birds. 

Many of which were quickly wiped out, including the Moa, Haast Eagle 

(the world's largest flying bird), Huia and Snipe. 

Aside from predators, the demand for new housing locations and 

recreational opportunities continues to place increasing pressure on the 

Fairy Tern's essential habitat. We have several species of birds that don't 

exist anywhere else on earth. The Tara Iti is deserving of our best efforts to 

protect our most endangered endemic species. 

Net proceeds of print sales for these 4 tern images will be donated to the 

New Zealand Fairy Tern Charitable Trust. 



33




35

PAUL WALLACE 


Photography has been a casual hobby of mine since I was 

about 12 years old. There wasn’t any particular genre I was 

attracted to so I was happy photographing family, places I 

visited, and motorsports. Later I was fortunate that a major 

part of my job involved overseas travel and rather than just 

capture what I saw it motivated me to venture out, visit 

places I would not otherwise have visited, and do things I 

would otherwise never have done in order to get the shot. 

www.paulwallacenz.com 

CITIES AT NIGHT 

These four images together epitomise my approach to 

photographing cityscapes. Where possible for my cityscapes, I 

like to shoot in the evening before it gets completely dark. The 

evening light ensures that clouds have structure and interest 

whilst the various lights of the city provide both interest and 

illumination of the structures and buildings around them. 

In heavy cloud, where the sky is dark, the lights of the city can 

provide the illumination of the clouds above. Patience is the 

key and I will often arrive early and remain at a location for 

hours to get the best light possible. 

For me, the use of a tripod is an essential tool as it allows me 

to take long exposures. Long exposures can improve detail, 

contrast, and colour as well as allowing creative use of the 

movement in the clouds and water. 

The cities featured in these images are New York, Sydney, 

Tokyo, and Wellington. 



37




39

ROGER BAILLIE 


My father bought me my first camera when I was 

6 so photography has always been with me from 

that day. Most of my time behind the lens has been 

with film cameras so I am still relatively new to digital 

photography starting with a used Canon Rebel and 

now with my Canon M6 mark II. Photography to me is 

the privilege of capturing a specific moment of time 

and the joy of sharing that moment with others. 

@rustyroj 

GOLDEN DAWN 

This view of Herald Island in Auckland is one I pass by every day on 

my way to work. It's a scene that so many pass by without much 

of a thought however, it's all I could think of one week after being 

inspired by a particular foggy morning 

The weather forecast was for heavy rain, but I was determined to 

try regardless, as there was a slight chance of mist on the water first 

thing. It wasn't easy to get myself up before sunrise on a Saturday - 

I'm not much of a morning person at the best of times! 

It's not the first time I had set out to chase a lost cause either and 

believe that they are always worth a chance. In this case, I didn't 

get the exact shot I was hoping for but I was graced by the rising 

sun and the mist up on the hills which came together in a beautiful 

golden glow to create this magical scene. I felt privileged to be the 

one to capture it. 

The window I had was short and the predicted rain rolled in as I 

made my way back to the car but I was glad I dragged myself out 

of bed early on a Saturday morning to chase a lost cause. 



41




43

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A Brief Introduction to Adobe 

Photoshop CC 

by Charlotte E. Johnson 

“The picture that you took with your camera is the imagination you want to create 

with reality.” — Scott Lorenzo 

INTRODUCTION 

Photoshop: The software that strikes terror into the 

hearts of many and disgust into others. “That’s been 

Photoshopped!” goes the cry. I used to agree, being 

of the opinion that an image shouldn’t need editing 

if it was good enough when captured. Then I took 

some photography courses which included some 

editing and I conceded that small exposure and 

colour adjustments could be useful, especially when 

using RAW files. 

Later, I took dedicated courses in Photoshop, not 

because I wanted to, but because it would look 

good on my CV. Despite myself, I became interested 

in compositing and creating images that I could 

never have captured in real life. Photoshop stopped 

being scary and started to be fun. I landed my 

current job partly because I had done the courses 

and, after a couple of years of constant practice, 

I became an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop 

CC. From where I first was to where I am now, I would 

have never guessed. 

No doubt you’ve seen plenty of images which have 

been ‘overcooked’ in Photoshop. I look back on 

some of my old works and grimace. I think one of the 

best things anyone can learn about Photoshop is to 

know when to stop... But that’s not the purpose of this 

article - here I will show you how to get started. 

The basics of Photoshop are useful for every 

photographer, regardless of preferred genre or skill 

level. I would encourage anyone to learn Photoshop 

over Lightroom or similar editing programs because, 

one day, you might get to the point where you want 

to go further with your editing, and you’ll be limited 

with what that software can do. If you start off in 

Photoshop, you’ll never feel restricted, and you may 

even be inspired by the creative possibilities. 

If you already have Photoshop but aren’t sure how to 

use it, perhaps skip to Getting Started. The best way 

to understand some of what I cover here may be 

to read along with Photoshop open in front of you. 

So set aside some time, grab a cuppa, and let me 

introduce you to your new best friend. 

WHY USE PHOTOSHOP? 

When it comes to editing, the majority of photographers 

are divided between Photoshop and Lightroom, 

although other software is rapidly increasing in 

popularity. I’m not going to tell you which one to use, 

that’s up to you to decide based on what you want 

to do with your images. Adobe states that “Lightroom 

stays true to photography, while Photoshop lets you 

create the images in your mind’s eye”. Compared to 

Lightroom, Photoshop can perform a greater degree of 

edits; retouching, compositing images together, adding 

image filters, text and graphics if wanted, and so much 

more. If you’re wondering how to make your image 

pop, you can do the job in any editing software. If you 

want to remove an annoying sign in the background, 

edit your models’ skin without losing detail, change 

out a dull sky for a more interesting one, head-swap 

that person in a group photo who blinked, make those 

mountains look more impressive, change day into night, 

or overlay a texture… then Photoshop is for you. 

CREATIVE CLOUD 

Adobe now provides a subscription service which 

is wrapped up inside their most recent branding, 

the Creative Cloud. Think of the Creative Cloud as 

a folder which contains all of the Adobe Software. 

You can unlock which software you want to use by 

purchasing a subscription but before you purchase 

anything, you can download a free trial. All software; 

Photoshop, Lightroom, etc. is downloaded, installed 

and updated through the Creative Cloud. Before 

purchasing, take a look at the available packages 

because you may find a package which includes 

other software (even if you don’t initially want it) 

is cheaper than subscribing to Photoshop alone. 

Just because you have subscribed to the package 

doesn’t mean you have to have all of the included 

software installed on your computer. One of the 

positives of a subscription service is that you’ll always 

have the latest versions. Adobe offers updates 

regularly so, if you’re looking for online tutorials, try to 

find the most recent one or, better still, find someone 

(like yours truly) who offers tuition. For this article, I’m 

using Adobe Photoshop CC version: 22.3.1. 



45

The Photoshop Home Screen 

GETTING STARTED 

When you open Photoshop (from here onwards 

referenced as Ps), you are presented with a 

Home Screen. You must open or create a file to 

get into a Ps workspace with the Home Screen 

popping up again if all files are closed. 

As photographers, we’ll primarily be opening 

our photographs into Ps rather than creating 

new files. If you don’t like the Home Screen, you 

can disable it so that Ps opens up straight into 

the default workspace and files can be opened 

through the regular File menu (just search 

online for “How to disable the Photoshop home 

screen”). 

If your image files are saved as .jpg or .tif they will 

open straight into Ps. But if you open a RAW file 

in Ps, it will pop up in a separate window which 

is actually some pretty powerful software called 

Adobe Camera Raw. Amongst other things, this 

is where you’ll be able to pull the most dynamic 

range (i.e. rescue highlight and shadow detail) 

from your images. Camera Raw is very similar 

to Lightroom and really deserves its own article 

but for now, have a play and see what you get. 

Know that those changes will be embedded into 

the file when you open it into Ps but don’t worry, 

the changes won’t overwrite your original RAW 

file. 

At the bottom-centre of the Camera Raw 

window you’ll see some text with the colour 

space your image was captured in (sRGB or 

Adobe RGB), the bit depth your image will open 

in (8 or 16 bit), the image dimensions and MP 

(megapixels) and finally the ppi (pixels per inch). 

File properties as displayed in Camera Raw 

This (see above) is telling you what properties your file will 

have in Ps when you click Open in the bottom-right of 

Camera Raw. If you click on this text, a dialogue box will 

pop up where you’ll be able to set the image how you 

want it. I recommend opening 16 bit images as this will 

reduce banding in the image caused by gradations in 

light or colour however, the file size will be much larger and 

less powerful computers may struggle. There are ways to 

improve the performance of Photoshop – have a search 

online for how to do this. 

THE PHOTOSHOP WORKSPACE 

It might make for dull reading but getting familiar with 

how Ps looks will help you navigate it and, ultimately, 

make it easier to use. On the next page is a labelled 

graphic naming parts of the workspace. The proportions 

of the panels and text will vary depending on the size 

of your screen. If you don’t see the same layout, go to 

the application bar and select Window -> Workspace 

-> Essentials (Default). The entire workspace is contained 

within the ‘application frame’ which allows you to move 

panels and windows around and to dock them within 

other panels if desired. If you make a mess or accidently 


Parts of the workspace 

remove a panel, you can reset the workspace back to 

what it was (Window -> Workspace -> Reset Essentials). 

Tools Panel: This is where you’ll find all the tools you 

need to be able to edit. This panel actually displays 

only a small selection of available tools – it can be 

overwhelming but, as you learn, you’ll be glad of the 

range. Luckily, the people at Adobe realise learning 

the tools can be a struggle so they’ve added a great 

feature: hovering the mouse over any tool in the 

toolbar will pop up a small, animated graphic showing 

what it does. Helpful! You might not have identical 

icons displayed on your screen to the screenshots 

shown here and that’s because most of these tools 

have a hidden range which you can access by 

clicking and holding on the icon until a sub-menu 

pops up. Whichever tool you select from the sub 

menu replaces the current icon in the tools panel. 

Options Bar: Whenever you select a tool, you’ll see 

a range of options appear in the options bar. This is 

where you can adjust and fine-tune whatever tool 

you’ve selected to do precisely what you want. 

Almost every tool has a unique set of options, piling 

on the already overwhelming heap of information. 

You can get by without knowing much about this 

to start with, but it is important once you get more 

comfortable with Ps. 

Application Bar: The top menus are found within the 

application bar. This is where you can open and 

save files, edit and transform images, make image 

adjustments (destructively), create and alter layers, 

edit type, alter and refine selections, choose and 

apply image filters, render 3D, change the layout and 

view, manage plugins, customise the workspace, and 

find Ps help. Again, there’s a lot to take in from these 

menu options, but you’ll find that you use some all the 

time and ignore others entirely. Ps wasn’t made just for 

editing photos – it is widely used by graphic designers, 

web developers, digital artists, and many more – so 

lots of what it contains can (thankfully) be ignored by 

us photographers. 

Panel Dock & Panels: Panels allow you to perform 

different tasks, edit adjustments, and fine-tune tools. 

The Window menu in the application bar allows you 

to open new panels. Depending on what you select, 

the panels can appear differently, as shown in the 

graphic on the top of the next page which uses the 

Brushes panel as an example. 

Document Window: This is where your file appears 

once opened. Multiple files can be opened and you 

can switch between them by selecting the document 

tab at the top of the document window. Clicking on 

the x on a document tab will close the document. 

Clicking and dragging the document will make it pop 

out into its own floating window rather than being 



47

You can pull panels around to position them where you want; dock them, or collapse panels into icons by clicking the tiny double-arrow located at 

the top right of the panel. No matter how you customise panels within your workspace, the function remains the same. 

docked into the application frame as it appears by 

default. 

Application Frame: This is the frame which all other 

parts of the workspace dock into. 

Phew! That’s the workspace covered. Now, let’s get 

on to the interesting stuff! 

ADJUSTMENTS (PART 1) 

In the application bar, the Image menu is where 

you’ll find Adjustments. This menu contains a range 

of options to allow you to make tonal and color 

adjustments to your images. All of the adjustments in 

this menu are what is termed ‘destructive’ meaning 

they will directly alter the pixels of your image. 

Sounds bad, right? Well, it is. Once these adjustments 

are made, there is no way to independently alter 

or remove them without undoing any subsequent 

changes you made to the Ps file (RAW files are 

not affected). There are times when destructive 

adjustments are needed but I believe it’s important to 

work in a non-destructive way wherever possible. This 

means that, if you or a client changes their mind later, 

you can come back to the Ps file and tweak individual 

adjustments you made to that image without 

affecting any other changes you made. It may sound 

complicated but, trust me, it’s a much better way of 

working and easy once you get used to it. To do this, 

you need to learn about layers and masks and this is 

what Ps is really all about. 

INTERMISSION! 

It is normal to feel overwhelmed with the complexity 

of Ps and learning a new software. If you are, this is 

a great place to bookmark and come back to later. 

Meanwhile, have a go at opening up one of your 

images in Ps and try using some of these adjustments 

to tweak it. Yes, they are destructive, but you can still 

learn a lot about what they do and how to use them, 

all the while getting used to the look and feel of Ps. 

The next section in this article, History, tells you how 

to undo any mistakes you made. If you don’t want to 

work on your original image, you can work on a copy: 

open your photo into Ps (if Camera Raw pops up, just 

click Open) and you’ll see in the Layers panel, bottom 

right, your image will be a Background layer. Rightclick 

this layer and select Duplicate Layer. Click OK 

on the dialogue box that pops up. You’ll now have a 

copy of your image that you can play with as you like. 

When you’re ready, come back and read on about 

Layers and Masks. I promise it’s worth it. 


HISTORY 

If you’ve been playing around in Ps and you’ve made 

some mistakes. Edit -> Undo (whatever you last did) 

will always be available to you but there’s a faster 

keyboard shortcut: Ctrl - Z (Windows) or Command - Z 

(Mac). Press both keys together as many times as you 

like to undo one step at a time. If you made several 

mistakes or want to keep track of what you’ve done 

so far, you can use the History panel. This is set by 

default to be the top-most icon in the panel dock and 

is indicated by a set of 3 cubes with a curved arrow. 

Click the icon to see a list of your recent history. 

The History panel populates with every action you take in Ps but only 

remembers a set number of actions. It is a safety net if you make a 

mistake within this set number of actions. 

LAYERS 

Imagine you have a few sheets of regular plain paper, 

each with something different printed on them, 

stacked into a pile. You have made the equivalent of 

Ps layers. You know there are several sheets of paper 

in the pile but you can only see the top sheet. If you 

take off the top sheet, you’ll see the one underneath. 

That’s how pixel-based layers work (e.g. anything with 

a photo or image, or created using a pixel-based tool 

such as the paint brush). 

Open up an image in Ps and you’ll see it in the Layers 

panel. Typically, it will be named the Background layer 

and it will have a little padlock next to it. This means the 

layer is locked. You can’t do anything much with a locked 

layer (options will be greyed out) so unlock it by clicking 

once on the padlock and the icon will disappear. The 

layer will now be named Layer 0. You can rename layers 

by double clicking on the type of the existing name. If you 

double click elsewhere on the layer, you’ll get the Layer 

Styles dialogue box which allows you to add funky effects 

and blending to layers (make a note to have a play with 

this later). To the left of the layer name is a small thumbnail 

image and left of that is an eye icon. Clicking on this eye 

icon will turn the layer on or off so you can see the layer 

underneath. Clicking on a layer once will highlight that 

layer and you can then use the icons at the bottom of 

the Layers panel (highlighted in the following screenshot). 

There are usually many ways to do the same thing within 

Ps, so I will just talk about my preferred methods for creating 

and altering layers using these icons. Again, Ps helpfully 

includes information on what the icons are if you hover the 

mouse pointer over them. 

From right to left; the trash can deletes layers, the + inside a square 

creates a new layer, the folder icon groups layers together inside a 

folder, the half dark and light circle opens the adjustment layers menu, 

and the light rectangle with a dark circle inside creates a layer mask. 

The fx icon opens the Layer Styles dialogue box and the chain icon links 

multiple layers together so any adjustments made to one layer apply to 

all linked layers. 

If you open two images into Ps, they will appear 

in 2 separate files. Click and drag the layer of the 

first image up towards the file tab for the second 

image, hold it there until Ps swaps over to the 

second tab, then drop the file onto the second 

image. Alternatively, copy-paste an image into 

an existing Ps document and it will appear as an 

additional layer. Either way, you should now have 

two images on separate layers in the same file. 

Create a new layer using the New Layer icon and 

you won’t see anything change on your image 

because the layer is blank and transparent until 

you put something on it. When you create a new 

layer, the new layer is automatically selected 

which means you are now working on this 

highlighted layer. Add some paint using the paint 

brush tool to this layer and it will appear over the 

top of the layer below. Don’t like what you did? 

Erase it using the eraser tool – only the paint on this 

layer will be erased. If you were to paint directly 

on your image layer rather than this new layer, it 

would be destructively changing the pixels and 

the eraser tool would erase your image as well as 

the paint you put down on it. The key to working 

non-destructively is to never alter the pixels on your 

original image layer by instead using additional 

layers to make changes and edits. Yes, you can 

duplicate your background layer and make 

destructive changes to that copy, but there are 

several problems with doing it this way (although 

many do) including doubling your file size. 



49

Re-order layers by clicking and dragging them 

above or below (layers must be unlocked). To 

reposition a layer, use the move tool and click 

and drag the image. Edit layer size or rotation by 

selecting the layer then clicking Edit -> Free Transform 

and then play around with the toggles on the image, 

press the enter key when finished. If you have several 

layers, Ps may get confused about which one you 

want to move, so it’s sometimes easier to move them 

when using Free Transform. 

MASKS 

Open two images and drag-drop one into the same 

file as the other so there are 2 image layers (or copypaste). 

With the top layer selected, click the mask icon 

and a solid white square thumbnail will appear linked 

to your layer in the layers panel. The most important 

thing to remember about masks is that white shows 

and black hides. Think of it like have a light turned on to 

see (white) or off so you can’t see (black). The top layer 

will be currently entirely visible because the thumbnail 

shows all white. Click on the mask thumbnail to select it, 

choose the paint brush tool and change the foreground 

color to black (see screenshot below) – now paint on 

the top image to hide parts of it. Why would you do this 

instead of erasing it? One reason is that you can bring it 

back if you change your mind or make a mistake – just 

paint with white. Magic! You can do this the opposite 

way too – invert the entire mask by first clicking on it to 

select it, then go to Image -> Adjustments -> Invert. The 

mask will invert from white to black and be hidden. You 

can paint to reveal areas by painting white. If you see 

paint on your image, you may be painting on the layer 

rather than the mask – make sure to click on the mask 

to select it before painting. 

first and try using a setting of just 10% to blend an 

image using a mask. 

ADJUSTMENTS (PART 2) 

Are you ready? This is where we combine all we’ve 

learned so far about layers and masks in order to 

effectively use Adjustment Layers. You can see a list of 

available adjustment layers when you click the light/ 

dark circle icon in between the mask icon and the folder 

icon at the bottom of the layers panel. Conversely, to 

the destructive adjustments you can find in the Image 

menu, adjustment layers are non-destructive because 

they create a new layer for each adjustment. It may 

seem like a lot of unnecessary faff to make adjustments 

this way but, trust me, you’ll be glad you did. Adjustment 

layers, no matter how many you use, do not increase 

your file size. However, masks do, as do new layers with 

pixel data. All adjustment layers come with masks so you 

can refine where you would like the adjustment to be in 

your image if you want to. Note that you must have the 

correct layer selected to show the adjustment properties. 

Clicking the mask will show adjustments for the mask 

rather than properties for the adjustment layer – it’s very 

easy to be caught out this way! Unfortunately, Ps is full 

of picky little things like this which help to throw off new 

users. If you’re editing in Ps and something isn’t working 

the way it should, try to step back and work through it 

logically, starting by checking you have the correct layer 

selected. 

Left: The highlighted area in the Tools panel 

is where brush colours can be selected 

by clicking on the square color panels 

(foreground and background). Clicking on 

the tiny black and white duplicate panels 

above the foreground and background colors 

resets the colors to white and black. Clicking 

the tiny arrows swaps the foreground and 

background colors. Painting with the brush 

tool always uses the foreground color. 

Masks can become as complicated as you want 

to make them but I just wanted to introduce you to 

the concept here. Layers and masks are the basis 

of image compositing – have fun experimenting 

with overlaying one image on top of another and 

blending it in using masks. 

A top tip for blending using masks and the brush 

tool is to adjust the Opacity or the Flow of the 

brush. You’ll find these settings, amongst others, 

in the Options bar when you have the brush tool 

selected. Lowering the opacity is effectively like 

watering down your paint whereas lowering the 

flow will effectively be like reducing the amount 

of paint on your brush. Use one or the other at 

The Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer was selected – you can see it has 

appeared as a new layer above Layer 0 (background) and that it has a white 

thumbnail, indicating a mask. The Properties panel above the Layers panel 

shows where you can make the selected Brightness/Contrast adjustments. 


Even though there are multiple visible adjustment layers used in this file, the pixel-based layer (Layer 0) is still 

visible, showing all of the adjustments made to it cumulatively. 

Differing from pixel-based layers, most adjustment 

layers are transparent. You can use several adjustment 

layers and still see pixel-based layers below as seen in 

the screenshot above. 

BLEND MODES & OPACITY 

Going back to our stack of printed paper analogy - 

imagine that the top print is on a transparency instead 

of plain paper. You can see some details of the below 

image through the print and you can move it around 

until you’re happy with the overlapping composition. 

Next, imagine placing the stack of prints onto a light 

box and observe the image shining through from 

underneath. Both these examples are very similar to 

what some Blend Modes do. 

You’ve probably seen lots of images making use 

of blend modes – blending images with portraits 

has been very popular, sometimes termed double 

exposure portraits because they can have a similar 

look to a traditional double exposure. Try it yourself: 

load 2 image layers into a single Ps file as before 

and change the blend mode on the top layer. Try 

out each blend mode to see what it will do. The 

result each blend mode gives depends a lot on the 

content of the image and the one below, so it’s 

always a good idea to try each blend mode in turn 

when trying to achieve a specific look. The most 

popular blend modes for ‘double exposure’-look 

images are Multiply, Screen, Soft Light, and Overlay. 

You can safely ignore a lot of things in the Layers panel when starting off. All you need to do to set a Blend Mode is choose 

one from the drop-down menu which by default is set to Normal. You’ll need more than one layer to see the effects of a 

blend mode since it uses properties of the selected layer and the one below to display the resulting blended image.

An example of how using blend modes can affect an image. Here, the bokeh texture layer was set above the portrait layer and the blend mode was 

changed to Screen. Model, makeup, and styling by Laura Macdonald. 

Sometimes the best fit to blend an image with 

another is simply to lower the opacity. The option to 

change the opacity of a layer can be found next 

to the blend mode in the layers panel and is set 

by default to 100%. Lowering the opacity can help 

make a composite more believable or achieve a 

faded effect. This is also a great way to tone down 

an adjustment layer if you feel it is too strong. Many 

fine-art works are finished by adding a texture layer 

set to a low opacity to give the image the feel of an 

old painting. 

SAVING FILES 

Once you’re finished editing, save your file using File 

-> Save As. If you want to keep editing and save 

all your layers, it’s best to save as a Photoshop file 

(.PSD), but that this can only be opened by Adobe 

software and the files are large. You can also save 

all your layers by selecting a .TIFF if you prefer, but 

these files tend to be even larger (though they can 

be opened in more software). Saving as a .JPEG will 

effectively merge all your layers together, flattening 

them into a single file. This will compress your image 

and there will be a slider for you to select the 

appropriate quality according to the file size you 

want to achieve. For images I want to use on the 

web, I use File -> Export -> Save for Web (Legacy). 

This converts my file to an sRGB colour space and 

to 72 dpi, ideal for online use. I can choose a .JPEG 

file type, set the image size and adjust the quality 

as well as see the predicted file size change in realtime 

using this method. .JPEG files are ideal for 

everyday and digital use but most good printers will 

expect .TIFF files at 300 dpi. 

SUMMARY 

This article contains all the knowledge you need 

to get Photoshop setup and to start playing. 

Experimenting with what Photoshop can do can be 

extremely rewarding and can elevate your images 

to the next level. It will also help you get used to the 


One image from a set based on the theme of mental health showing the layers used to create the final image. You can see the original, pixelbased 

layer at the bottom (Layer 0) and one more pixel-based layer at the top (Layer 2) which is all layers, merged, as the final image (shown). 

Adjustment layers and masks are an essential part of my Photoshop workflow. Modelled by Natalie Thomas with assistance from Laura 

Macdonald and Viviane Castro. 

look and feel of Photoshop until it doesn’t feel all 

that intimidating any more. 

I’ve given you the very basics of compositing 

images together – start off simple and work your 

way up. With so much to learn, it’s easy to forget 

what you did, so consider keeping notes on what 

you tried and how you did it and get into the habit 

of naming your layers with what you used or what 

they contain, like the example below. Don’t be put 

off by the apparent complexity of what’s going on 

in this image – this is an example of my personal 

workflow and looks more complicated than it 

actually is. 

Don’t give up and remember that you don’t 

have to struggle alone – Photoshop is such a 

popular piece of software that there are no end of 

resources to help you learn; magazines, YouTube 

tutorials, online courses, and in-person tuition are 

all available to you. I’ll be writing another article on 

Photoshop which will add on to this one but, if you 

can’t wait that long, visit my website cejphoto.com 

to see what I can do to help you and check out my 

images on Facebook and Instagram for inspiration! 

I can honestly say that learning Photoshop has 

been the most important factor in my personal 

development as a photographer. So get those files 

off your camera memory card and into Photoshop 

and practice, practice, practice! 

@cej.photo 

@cej.photo 



53

LEARN MORE 

www.excio.io 

54 July 2021 NZPhotographer 

Photo by Jakub Soltysiak

In our members-only Facebook group last 

month we received the question “How do 

we measure our worth? How do beginner 

photographers know how to position their 

worth in a saturated market? Are there 

industry standards to pricing? And how 

do we avoid amateur photographers 

under pricing their work and devaluing 

the market for photographic works?” It's 

a million-dollar question and while there 

is no exact answer I thought it important 

to raise the issue with a wider audience. 

There is a lot of misconception and 

confusion online so let’s dig a bit deeper. 

1. Cost scenario. Some suggest pricing 

your work based on the costs incurred. 

Having an accounting background I can 

relate to that but as a photographer it 

doesn’t make much sense. They say – 

calculate how much you spent on getting 

your photography degree, gear, time to 

get to the shot etc and then estimate how 

many photographs/prints you need to sell 

in order to cover those expenses. What 

about those of us who are “weekend 

warriors” and never got any proper 

education in photography – does it mean 

our photographs are worth less even if 

they are better than those produced 

by “professionals”? Obviously this cost 

scenario is not reliable, so let’s move to 

the next one. 

2. “Price your work in line with market 

rates”. There is a lot going on with “the 

market” which is currently governed by 

big players who don’t give a sh*t about 

photographers. Do you use Shutterstock 

as your baseline, a company that sells 

photographs for as little as $0.40 per 

download or Getty Images who sell 

photos to companies for $500+? 

3. A smaller share of a bigger pie? Others 

say you need to decide whether you 

want to potentially make your work 

more affordable for others and have 

more sales or make it more exclusive or 

limited-edition and wait for that bigger 

paycheck. 

So how do beginner photographers know 

how to position their worth in a saturated 

market? For amateur photographers or 

those who have already gained enough 

experience in the field but haven’t yet 

monetised their hobby, the main thing is 

WHAT ARE 

PHOTOGRAPHERS WORTH? 

to start somewhere. It's possible to sell any 

photograph but you should first establish 

yourself on the market in order for people 

to start seeing “worth” in your photos. You 

might have read the interview we did with 

Parmeet Sahni, now a successful full-time 

photographer, who found her passion in 

newborn and family photo sessions – for 

her it all started with a Facebook post 

where she shared her daughter’s photos. 

Don’t hesitate to take photos of what you 

love and then offer them to a local group/ 

charity or company you know for free 

(this is totally different from a company 

asking to use your work for free and taking 

advantage of you!). I once went to a 

local farm festival and took photos of 

some of the booths. I took their business 

cards and later sent them a few photos. 

This turned into a very fun photo shoot for 

a lady who makes soaps and cosmetics. 

I didn't charge for it because I knew that 

the lady sharing the photos I took could 

potentially bring me much more exposure 

followed by other photo shoot requests 

that I could charge for. I didn’t actually 

continue with organized photo shoots 

because I realised it wasn't for me, but 

that's a different story! 

Having talked to both sides – image 

buyers as well as photographers 

alongside exploring a variety of different 

platforms whilst building our “Fair Trade 

Photography” ExcioShop I realised it is not 

so much photographers who “devalue the 

market”, it's those international giants who 

set the standard that buying photographs 

for a few cents or indeed downloading 

them free of charge (legally) is OK. 

My mind boggled when I read the latest 

update from the well-known platform 

Unsplash inviting photographers to 

participate in “Open source advertising” 

which essentially means they now expect 

photographers to take photos of brands 

(e.g. someone drinking Coca-Cola) and 

submit them to the platform for free. 

Does this mean we are now expected to 

charge $0/photo? 

Let's keep this question and indeed the 

solution open - you are most welcome to 

send your views, feedback, or ideas to me 

at ana@excio.io. 

Ana Lyubich 

Co-founder of the Excio 

Photo Community and 

NZPhotographer Magazine, 

Ana is a passionate 

photographer and 

photography mentor. She 

loves exploring the unseen 

macro world and capturing 

people’s genuine emotions. 

Ana is always happy to help 

other fellow photographers so 

don’t hesitate to get in touch 

with her at ana@excio.io 

www.excio.io 

@excionz 



55

PHOTO COMMUNITY 

From more than 20,000 photographs published on Excio 

by our members, these 10 made it to the top this month. 


STORMY SUNSET 

FRANK WIDMER 

Everything was united in this photo, heavy rain, gale force 

wind, and a sunset like I have never experienced before. 

excio.gallery/frank 



57

SOMNUS 

LUMENOX 

Somnus, where Winter arrives and nature sleeps. 

excio.gallery/lumenox 


UNIVERSAL DRIVE 

ENZO GIORDANI 

I’ve been admiring a piece of work on the wall of my 

employer’s head office by an artist named Kevan 

McCollum. This is my twist on his image. 

excio.gallery/enzo 



59

SEAL PUP 

JAMIE FRASER 

This wee guy was a little heart breaker. There is so much 

thought and wonderment in those eyes! One of my 

personal favourite images. 

excio.gallery/fraserfotography 


GROVETOWN LAGOONS 

SUE HENLEY 

Grovetown Lagoons are a natural wetland on the Wairau 

plains near Blenheim. Peaceful and beautiful it is home to 

a wide variety of birds and wildlife. 

excio.gallery/henley 



61

BLUE WINTER 

ANN KILPATRICK 

Winter leaves on my deck as 

I learn about my camera on 

a winter's day. 

https://excio.gallery/ann 


BROTHERS IN ARMS 

SHAYNE AVERY 

This is my all time favourite image I have captured whilst in the 

NZDF. Although it is just a couple of the lads rehearsing some 

drills, for some people it speaks far more volume. Do not worry 

your hearts, the vehicle is an abandoned truck in our training 

area that we use to practice immobilized vehicle drills. 

excio.gallery/shayne 



63

PAGODA 

VICKIFINZ 

I thought we had left it a little late in the season to look for fungi. We 

went in search of this fungi on a track that normally takes around 20 mins 

to complete... 4 hours later! We found a small group of these beautiful 

specimens right at the end of our walk, when we thought we had missed 

them - Such a treat! 

excio.gallery/vicki 


KNOWLEDGE IS LIGHT SUNDAY ADELAJA 

BY KERRY BURTON 

Aotea College, Porirua. I went to the College to take photographs of the 

spectacular views of Porirua Harbour on site, but instead I was drawn to the lit 

up columns at the College Administration entrance. 

excio.gallery/kerry 



65

LOST 

PAMELA JOHNSTONE 

A very dreary day in Canterbury, New Zealand with lots of fog. 

excio.gallery/pamela 


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Experience exceptional. Experience Epson. 

www.epson.co.nz/prographics 



67

Image or Illusion? 

The Role of Nature Photography 

Words By Shaun Barnett 

Mason Bay, Rakiura National Park Photo: Rob Brown 




69

When we make images in nature, what are 

we doing? 

Representing reality, or creating an artful 

interpretation? 

And when we process an image, adding contrast, 

vibrance, and sharpening, are we ‘improving on 

nature’? 

Some of the photography I like to do is indeed 

partly illusion. When I use a tripod, a suitable F-stop 

for great depth of field, and a slow shutter speed, 

I can render the run of a stream into a silky flow - 

Something that cannot be recorded by the eye. 

A friend who loathes this style of photography calls 

it pornography; for him it’s a corruption of how he 

sees nature. 

Well, that’s landscape photography, you might say. 

When you photograph birds, though, surely there 

can’t be much illusion? I would argue that a superfast 

shutter speed can freeze a moment in the 

flight of a bird that is also impossible to see with the 

naked eye. 

So nature photography is at least partly an illusion. 

Yet what draws us to make images of nature is real: 

we photograph real places and real creatures, and 

what we are attempting to capture is something of 

the sense of wonder, wildness, or beauty, perhaps 

to convey something of the awe we experienced 

to those who were not there to witness it. Or 

perhaps to document aspects of nature for our own 

interest, or even science. 

Another criticism of ‘scenic’ photography is that 

it hides the ugly aspects of humanity, creating 

another illusion. For example, Milford Sound, in New 

Zealand’s Fiordland National Park, is a sublimely 

stunning landscape. But photographs of it rarely 

show the rows of buses, hotels, or crowds. Images of 

Milford Sound are partly illusion: the camera faces 

outwards, not backwards. Like much photography, 

the image focuses the viewer’s attention on a 

highly selective frame, one deliberately excluding 

what is not scenic. But that is also the essence of 

any photography: to exclude clutter, and focus on 

the subject. 

And the fact is, the magnificence of that fiord is 

real and still has the power to stir us. That’s why 

400,000 people visit Milford Sound every year, in 

spite of the crowds and tourism infrastructure. 

The reason why scenic calendars still sell is that 

– cliché notwithstanding – many people are 

fundamentally still interested in and moved by 

A kea, Mt Aspiring National Park, Otago. 

Know the rules: don’t feed kea – it’s bad for their health. Photo: Shaun Barnett/Black Robin Photography

eauty, by nature. A hiker surmounting a pass also 

feels stirred enough to try and capture that scene 

on their point-and-snap camera or phone. Pure 

and simple landscapes unsullied by the presence of 

humans. 

It’s easy to criticise ‘scenic’ photography as 

just chocolate box ephemera, but that’s partly 

disingenuous. Because anyone can take a picture, 

it is easy to under-appreciate really good nature 

photography. The best outdoor photography, 

like the best poetry or writing, has a fundamental 

power to inspire, challenge or galvanise people. 

New Zealand landscape photographer Rob Brown 

developed a distinctive photographic style by a 

great deal of hard work lugging heavy packs and 

handling the cumbersome machinery of a large 

format plate camera. Brown photographs things 

he cares about, and while he tends to photograph 

landscapes without humans, a lot of himself goes 

into the final image. Viewers often recognise 

this, and that makes them rise up above a purely 

scenic snapshot. His book Rakiura, The Wilderness 

of Stewart Island (2006) was the result of months of 

photography on the island, conducted over years. 

Similarly, to dismiss the work of renowned nature 

photographer Craig Potton is equally problematic. 

Take his book, Moment and Memory, Photography 

in the New Zealand Landscape (1998). Much 

more of the book includes forest interiors, many 

of which are chaotic, gloomy, and even slightly 

disconcerting. There is nothing clichéd about 

them: they depict Potton’s interpretation of the 

often-complex nature of New Zealand forests. To 

me these scenes are indeed far from scenic; they 

instead invoke the foreboding that early Pākehā 

(European) settlers must have felt when confronting 

our almost impenetrable forests. 

Potton’s landmark book Images of a Limestone 

Landscape (1987) with writer Andy Dennis, helped 

draw attention to the Paparoa Range, and the 

photographs in it transcended the genre of scenic 

photography. A few of them have become some 

of the most recognisable nature images ever 

made in New Zealand. They were taken as part of 

a deliberate campaign to draw attention to the 

plight of this forest, when there were plans to mill it, 

and this work led to the area becoming Paparoa 

National Park. 

Caver and tramper Neil Silverwood is another 

photographer who uses his work as a tool to 

advocate for nature. Silverwood has been a strong 

advocate for a proposed Wild Rivers National Park 

The Waitaha River, West Coast 

Photo Neil Silverwood

Ice formations, Ruahine Forest Park, Manawatū. 

Photo: Shaun Barnett/Black Robin Photography 

in the central Southern Alps, and has also written 

photo essays to advocate the value of rivers at 

threat from hydro schemes. 

Potton, Brown, and Silverwood are part of a long 

tradition of landscape photographers whose work 

is motivated by more than commercial imperatives. 

All three have used their photography as a means 

of expressing their responses to wild places to the 

wider public, and their images have played a role 

in saving places from desecration. 

Likewise, in Tasmania, photographer Peter 

Dombrovskis played a similar role. In the early 1980s 

his one stunning image of Tasmania’s Franklin River 

was so powerfully presented in a poster that it 

generated mass protest over State plans to dam 

this wild river, eventually leading to it becoming a 

major and defining election issue, not just for the 

State, but for the Australian Federal Government. 

You could say that Dombrovskis’ one image was 

the decisive weapon in the fight to establish the 

Franklin-Lower Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. 

In this way, these Southern Hemisphere 

photographers are continuing the tradition of 

American photographers like Ansel Adams and Eliot 

Porter. 

Even 35+ years after his death, Ansel Adams 

remains perhaps the world’s best-known landscape 

photographer. His meticulous monochromatic 

landscape photography helped to encourage 

politicians to establish national parks such as 

California’s Kings Canyon. 

In the purest form of this tradition, nature 

photographers focus solely on natural scenes, 

although some like Brown, Silverwood, and myself 

often present huts, tramper (hikers), or camps 

in their scenes. Nature photographers less often 

communicate such things as the impact of pests 

or mass tourism. That might be the role of a 

documentary photographer. 

However, that is not to say that nature 

photographers should not be careful and conscious 

about what they do. Te Anau-based photographer 

and conservationist Crystal Brindle is the New 

Zealand coordinator for Nature First (https://www. 

naturefirstphotography.org/), a growing worldwide 

alliance of nature photographers who have 

adopted seven principles. These are: 


Barrier Knob, Fiordland 

Photo: Crystal Brindle 

* Prioritise the well-being of nature over 

photography. 

* Educate yourself about the places you 

photograph. 

* Reflect on the possible impact of your actions. 

* Use discretion if sharing locations. 

* Know and follow rules and regulations. 

* Always follow ‘Leave No Trace’ principles and 

strive to leave places better than you found them. 

* Actively promote and educate others about 

these principles. 

Brindle feels that the power of Nature First lies in 

enabling photographers to lead by example and 

to move from simply capturing the beauty of the 

natural world to acting as ambassadors for nature, 

building on the long history of photography as an 

advocacy tool for conservation. 

This is especially important in an age when social 

media platforms allow people to access, share and 

re-share photographs continually. We need to be 

more conscious of not sharing specific locations 

(or geo-tagging) when doing so might cause 

problems to a sensitive area or species. We need 

to recognise when an area is too delicate for us to 

intrude. We need to respect the rights of wildlife. 

We need to be more thoughtful about the impact 

of photography, and to err on the side of caution. 

We need to be conscious that when we share a 

place on social media, others will follow. 

Throughout New Zealand’s history, there have 

been many times – even over the last decade – 

when the government or industry proposes yet 

more mining, hydro, roading or other destructive 

developments on our conservation lands. The price 

of conservation is eternal vigilance. And even 

the converted need to be reminded about the 

importance of this. 

By interpreting nature with their own vision, perhaps 

the chaos of a forest interior, the seductive line of a 

mountain ridge or a water-worn river stone, nature 

photographers can play a role in celebrating and 

preserving our wild places. 



73

FLORA 

READERS' 

SUBMISSIONS 

Photograph everything 

related to flora this month - 

try interesting perspectives, 

close-ups, or simply capture 

the beauty of our nature. 

Submit by 15 July for a chance 

to be featured in the next 

issue of NZPhotographer. 

Submit at www.nzphotographer.nz 


PORTFOLIO 

BEST READERS' SUBMISSIONS THIS MONTH 

'LINES' 

CANOPY 

I am involved in the building industry and can appreciate the effort, craftsmanship, and 

methodology to pull off the overall look of the design to the entrance canopy structure at 

Auckland Art gallery. This was taken on an outing while looking for unique shapes and lines 

to shoot in the city using my Sony Alpha A3000. 

Jordan Vallance 



75

LINES ABOVE 

F7.1, 1/250s, ISO100, 26mm 

One of the cranes on the Wellington wharf. Look up! 

Ann Kilpatrick 


GOVETT BREWSTER ART GALLERY 

I was visiting my home town of New Plymouth after a long absence and was 

astounded to see the new art gallery. The shape, form, and lines of the building 

were a challenge to capture on camera, but it's unique for sure. 

Lyn Alves 



77

MODERN ARCHITECTURAL LINES 

Looking up at the lines on an internal corner. 

Kate Snow 


LINES IN ICELAND 

Harpa Concert Hall & Conference Centre, Reykjavík, Iceland. 

I was based in London doing my OE and and met my cousins in Iceland for a 

holiday. I Stumbled across this building when there and the lines on it were amazing 

to look up at. 

Michelle Dalton 



79

WINDOW CLEANERS 

Sony RX100M7 @ F5.6, 1/320s, ISO100 

A team of window cleaners abseiling down the outside of a new tower block in 

Commerce Street, Auckland's CBD. Taken from Custom Street East. 

Mick Sharpe 


WOOD AND STEEL 

This photo was taken outside the National Museum in Canberra. 

The wooden floor is flanked by a steel sculpture and backed by a black steel wall 

superimposing multiple patterns of linear features. 

Steve Webster 



81

IVY TRAIL 

F8, 1/160s, ISO500, 100mm 

Natural lines created on this tree were from ivy that had been growing 

up the trunk, the ivy being cut at the source last year. I like the patterns 

left by the ivy vine but with it no longer threatening to take over. 

Wendy Pemberton 


LIFE LINES 

F2.8, 1/25s, IS0320, 35mm 

An early morning photography walk in Western Springs Park, Auckland, proved just the place for 

photographing this month's subject of lines. I like the way the sun hit the roots of this amazing tree. I liked it 

even better in black and white. 

Raewyn Smith 



83

CRAZY ARCHITECTURE 

The art gallery in Melbourne, Australia, has some interesting architecture. In this photo 

I try to show the seemingly haphazard lines that combine into an interesting format. 

Steve webster 


OLD STABLE 

In February I participated in the annual hike on the Otago peninsula organised by 

the Harbour Cone/Hereweka Trust. This photo of an old stable on one of the farms 

we traversed was converted to B&W for more impact. 

Suzanne Renner 



85

UNDULATIONS 

This photo was taken in a friend’s dancewear shop. I was exploring how to 

photograph the costume pieces in an interesting way when I was drawn to the 

movement suggested by the pink ribbon edging on the lime green tulle of this tutu. 

Suzanne Renner 


THIS WAY AND THAT 

@F5.3, 1/5s, ISO100, 65mm 

This image of a red cordyline was taken in Picton in a friend's garden. I love using the intentional camera 

movement (ICM) technique but rarely use it on plants or trees because I struggle to get reasonable results 

using them as subjects. I was taking part in a five day mini membership session with the ICMPhotoMag 

Network and on day 1, the main focus of the exercise was leaves. Arrggghh! Anyway, not being one to 

give in easily, I took to my friend's garden and started experimenting... and had an absolute ball. This was 

possibly one of my favourite images from that session. I just love the intricacy and delicacy in those leaves. 

The movement used is probably best described as a sort of exaggerated shudder! 

Noelle Bennett 



87

HOT AIR BALLOONS 

Samsung S7 @F1.7, 1/10s, ISO250. 

Hotel Atrium - Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North Hotel, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

This photo was taken during the week of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, October 

2019. Lasting 9 days, hundreds of balloons have a mass lift off at dawn which is an amazing 

sight. 

Mick Sharpe 




89

"I CAN WHISK YOU AWAY 

TO PLACES YOU'VE NEVER 

BEEN. TO PEOPLE AND 

PLACES YOU WILL NEVER 

SEE AGAIN." 

A PHOTOGRAPHER 

Photo by Pamela Johnstone

NZPhotographer Issue 45, July 2021

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